Title: VÆVEHUS
Location of Proejct: Copenhagen, Denmark
Project Completion Date: 7/29/22
Firm Name:

Short Description: A weavers artists residency located within central Copenhagen goal is to share the craft of weaving and textiles to the general public as well as the next generation. telling the rich history of the craft moving through centuries using the building materials to have a industrial exterior with a danish inspired handcraft interior. within the center of the building is an exploded loom that the individual moves up the buiding and through the looms mechanism. This looms has an experiential quality to it allowing the community to want to come to the VÆVEHUS.

Architect's Statement: Weavers residency to bring the local community closer to the craft and history of textiles. Located in central Copenhagen, the site is the last remaing empty lot within the historical city center. It has been left unbuilt since the church adjacent to the site was constructed in 1680. The site sits between the existing church to the west and the priests home to the east. The priests home has now been renovated for the Danish Architecture Association. This site come with many restraints being an urban infill site, as well as the neighboring buildings are on the historical preservation list. These constraints were responded to formally by pulling away from the eastern neighbors facade and creating an entry procession into the building. The Weavers residency requires programming for both the public, to introduce the general community and give access to the craft, and private work space for the artists who are living on site for an artist residency. Textiles are created from small individual fibers that are then spun into threads witch in turn are woven into fabrics and textiles. This craft is rooted in history and has seen numerous evolutions over centuries. The origination of hand woven pieces has now transformed into the industrialization and mass production witch loses the character and craft of the patterning and colors. This buildings goal is to have a balanced of industrial feel from the exterior and a more delicate hand crafted feel from within. Within the interior atrium space is the “Community Loom” which is a participatory loom for the public to work on and see it being displayed through the space over time. Weaving and the textiles craft has been a crucial role in cultures for many centuries. This installation piece is to be able to document the future moving forward of the craft while displaying it simultaneously. Creating an environment that is balanced for public use and private is why the program has been divided by the community loom. Moreover it also fills the space with transparent fabrics that allow for different light qualities and site lines depending on the position and location within the building. The exterior facade gives the sense of a large scale industrial feeling with intricate brick masonry detailing within the openings. Each opening as a wood frame on the inside which is woven with a linear textile to create shade and choreograph the amount of light within each of the interior spaces. The shading frames are operable allowing the artists to uniquely curate the light in their working space, the front elevation faces south west giving the building a large amount of daylighting even into the winer months of Copenhagen. The trees next door on the church site allows for a balance of texture between the natural forms the Loom houses rigid masonry structure. This building creates a space for both production and exploration of centuries old craft. The industrial feeling of the building comes from its masonry construction and brick work within the window jambs and at the floor edges within the community loom atrium. Balancing the feeling of industrialization with the hand craft of weaving, it was important to still make the masonry feel as light as possible. The main stair is wear the community loom is saved and rolled so that every user of the space has the opportunity to interact with the piece. The Workshop allows the community to be educated by holding demonstrations in class and be able to work adjacent to the exploded loom and be able to feel like you are within the mechanism. Moreover, the other place for education and working can be the outdoor classroom which is access from the entry space looks out into the shared courtyard of the Danish Architectural Association with an existing tree that provides a great atmosphere to be under.